The Golden Calf
When Moses stayed on the mountaintop with God for a long time, the natives got restless. Their response was a desire for a “better god,” one they could see, so they asked Aaron to make them one. Did Aaron respond with, “What are you talking about? I will not do any such thing!” Not quite. He basically said, “Ok.” And then, ‘Take off your gold earrings.” He just gave in to their demands. Fear of man triumphed over fear of God, and when that happens, evil is sure to follow. As we read in Proverbs., “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.” Aaron didn’t pray about their request. He didn’t consult the elders. He didn’t do anything but go along with the pressure of the crowd. His will was not settled in a desire for only God’s will, and that opens the door for the enemy every time. A leader without conviction gives sinful people what they want.
Young people, don’t listen to the voices around you, live or streamed, that tell you to do what you know is wrong. Be a man or woman of courage and conviction. Be a Daniel who would not give in even to the king’s demands with what he was to eat. Be like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who would not bow to the golden image while the rest of the nation was eating dust as they groveled before it. Be like Esther who went before the king without permission to plead for her people, saying, “If I perish, I perish.” Be like Jesus who did not give in to the crowd’s demands but did exactly what the Father sent him to do. When it comes to conviction about sin that others are inviting you into, be a leader not a follower.
The people gave their golden earrings to Aaron. And remember where they came from! These were part of the bounty, the plunder, that the people of Egypt gave to their former slaves as they sent them on their way. God gave them these riches for the building of the tabernacle, not for the practice of idolatry. But the people weren’t thinking about that, They craved the gods of Egypt, something they could see, even if it was something that was made with human hands. They also wanted a god they could control. And Aaron gave them what they craved. He fashioned it with a graving tool, and you wonder if God’s thunderous voice was in his ears saying, “You shall not make for yourself a graven image.” This was not the spirit-inspired artistry of Bezalel, this golden calf. This was the sin-inspired idolatry of a man ordained and appointed as the primary spiritual leader of a nation. It may have been a beautiful piece of art, but that was not the problem. The problem was that the artist perverted his skill to make an idol. It is a reminder to all of us that our gift can be our greatest blessing, or it can become our greatest curse. Whether it is artistry or intelligence or beauty or athletic ability or business acumen, or anything else that the world praises, we must devote it to God and his glory. Lest we end up worshiping the gift and not the Giver.
Think of this. The golden calf Aaron created did not even exist the day before. But to this lifeless image the people gave their worship and to this statue carved by a man they ascribed glory and power. Isn’t that what Paul said happens when we reject the Creator and exchange the glory of the immortal God for images? “Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever!”
We look at this and say, “Why? How? How could you throw away what you had with God for this? How in the world did you get there?” One day at a time. One corrupt thought at a time that instead of being held captive is allowed to run wild in their minds. One opportunity after another to trust God that instead is turned into a complaint against him. Or against his people. Or against his leaders.
Sin makes us forget the goodness of God. Sin makes us doubt the presence of God. Sin makes us ignore the treasures of God.
“Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love. Here’s my heart, O, take and seal it, seal it for Thy courts above.”